Moto Hint: A good Bluetooth earbud if you have the right smartphone

"Hint" is actually a perfect name for Motorola’s little earpiece. It’s not invisible; about half its body sticks out of my ears even after I’ve twisted the little silicon tip (which comes in three sizes) into place next to my ear canal. People notice I’m wearing it, maybe even more than other Bluetooth headsets, but no one’s quite sure what it is. It looks a little like a hearing aid, or at a quick glance could just be a big earring. The Hint exists in an awkward middle ground, actually. We’ve all learned to recognize, roll our eyes at, and forget about people talking into their Bluetooth headsets, but as I wandered around nattering aimlessly with a small rock in my ear, people noticed. And they stared. And they asked what in the world I was doing.

Even if the people around weren’t gawking, I never really forgot the Hint was there, but I never really felt compelled to take it out of my ear, either. It’s incredibly light and surprisingly comfortable, though it occasionally did leave the same stiff soreness I get when I wear Apple’s EarPods for too many hours in a row. (A few seconds of massaging my ears solves either ailment.) It doesn’t appear to be actively doing anything to allow sound through the object blocking my ear, but the Hint still permits a lot of ambient noise — I could wear over-ear headphones with the Hint in my ear, and it neither felt nor sounded strange. 

As with any wearable, how well it fits is incredibly important. I have small ears and while I expected the Hint to fall out, it never did. The Hint still stuck halfway out of my ear, but once I jammed it in, it stayed in place. Even skateboarding around Central Park didn't knock it out.

Worrywarts will be happy to know the Hint also comes with gel tips in three sizes, similar to how in-ear earbuds come with different sized tips. On a few days of testing, I walked into the shower with the Hint still in my ear. (Be warned: It's not water-resistant or waterproof.) That's how small and forgettable it becomes in your ear.

Fashion-conscious minds also have a reason to get excited: the Hint is available in three different surface materials: wood, leather and canvas — two finishes for each for a total of six options to pick from.

The Moto X is the Hint’s most natural companion. (I also used it with an iPhone 6 and a Samsung Galaxy Note 3.) Motorola’s newest smartphone has a remarkable set of voice-control features, enabled by a low-power secondary processor that’s always listening for your voice. Though the Hint will work with any Bluetooth-enabled device, using it with the Moto X means you get the full breadth of what Moto Voice offers. You can say "Good morning" to get a quick report on your calendar and the weather, "Take a selfie" to, uh, take a selfie, or "Find my phone" to force your phone to beep so you can find it. (That last one came in handy, because when you’re using the Hint it’s a lot easier to leave your phone in the fridge and still feel like you have it with you.)